My training clients have included Chronicle Books, Ten Speed Press, Kaiser Permanente, Fiserv, Livingly, Fineman PR, Pacific Foundation Services, Ketchum, Hewlett Foundation, Room to Read, California Department of Education Press, Armanino, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, and the Administrative Office of the Courts. I've taught on-site, classroom, and computer-lab workshops for more than 20 years as well as webinars and one-on-one coaching. Here's feedback shared by some of my recent clients and students.
"Melissa's line editing class explores the gray area between developmental editing and copyediting. Melissa provides clear instructions for how an editor can analyze and systematically improve unwieldy prose, line by line. Editors at all levels loved the class and felt it improved their ability to edit. Highly recommended!"—Chronicle Books
"Our company worked with Melissa to provide business writing and proofreading training for our staff. She was clear and well organized, and brought a sense of humor to some contentious grammatical issues our team has been struggling with. Our staff was able to immediately apply the skills we learned, and the workshop also inspired us to create an internal set of grammatical rules for greater consistency in our writing." —Pacific Foundation Services
"Your experience as an editor—and, of course, your intimate knowledge of Microsoft Word—certainly showed during our two training sessions." —California Department of Education Press
"Thank you for possibly the single-most useful copyediting course we have ever attended! Within a few minutes, we had already learned a useful trick from you that will help us work much more efficiently." --Copyediting.com webinar student
"I was really impressed with this workshop. Melissa is clearly a writing/editing expert and she’s engaging as an instructor." —Fiserv
"I really enjoyed the workshop! Melissa was energetic and made the training interesting and fun."--Fiserv
"We all enjoyed the workshop and took a lot away from it. Your lesson was very informative and professional, but also fun! I know we will all benefit from it." --Fineman PR
"Instructor is very knowledgeable, experienced, and enthusiastic--this really livened up a difficult and complex area of editing." --Developmental Editing workshop student
"Melissa stood out as intelligent, organized, intuitive, and passionate." --Developmental Editing workshop student
"That was a fun and easy way to improve my developmental editing skills." --Developmental Editing workshop student
"I appreciated how organized and clear your presentation was. I knew there must be mysteries buried in Word that I had not been privy to." --Working with Word workshop student
"Although I've used Word's Track Changes for many years, I learned some new tips for that feature, as well as more about using macros to perform common editorial functions, customizing the keyboard and desktop, and creating tables for copyediting queries. Thank you for all the very useful information!" --Working with Word workshop student
"Thank you for a great and informative webinar!"--Microsoft Word for the Wise webinar participant
"Melissa is very engaging, and managed to get through a lot of material without seeming rushed."--Microsoft Word for the Wise workshop student
"I kept thinking about your saying that there's always got to be an easier way. I was doing an electronic edit last week and. . . found out that there was indeed an easier way. You've stimulated me to review all the repetitive stuff that I do and figure out how to do it better. Thank you!" --Electronic Editing student
"I got a lot out of the course, and I appreciated your dazzling organization and expertise on the subject—the handouts will get much use." --Electronic Editing student
"This is one of the better classes I've taken. You definitely know the material and show your knowledge. Thank you for what you do." --Microsoft Word for the Wise webinar participant
"Our company worked with Melissa to provide business writing and proofreading training for our staff. She was clear and well organized, and brought a sense of humor to some contentious grammatical issues our team has been struggling with. Our staff was able to immediately apply the skills we learned, and the workshop also inspired us to create an internal set of grammatical rules for greater consistency in our writing." —Pacific Foundation Services
"Your experience as an editor—and, of course, your intimate knowledge of Microsoft Word—certainly showed during our two training sessions." —California Department of Education Press
"Thank you for possibly the single-most useful copyediting course we have ever attended! Within a few minutes, we had already learned a useful trick from you that will help us work much more efficiently." --Copyediting.com webinar student
"I was really impressed with this workshop. Melissa is clearly a writing/editing expert and she’s engaging as an instructor." —Fiserv
"I really enjoyed the workshop! Melissa was energetic and made the training interesting and fun."--Fiserv
"We all enjoyed the workshop and took a lot away from it. Your lesson was very informative and professional, but also fun! I know we will all benefit from it." --Fineman PR
"Instructor is very knowledgeable, experienced, and enthusiastic--this really livened up a difficult and complex area of editing." --Developmental Editing workshop student
"Melissa stood out as intelligent, organized, intuitive, and passionate." --Developmental Editing workshop student
"That was a fun and easy way to improve my developmental editing skills." --Developmental Editing workshop student
"I appreciated how organized and clear your presentation was. I knew there must be mysteries buried in Word that I had not been privy to." --Working with Word workshop student
"Although I've used Word's Track Changes for many years, I learned some new tips for that feature, as well as more about using macros to perform common editorial functions, customizing the keyboard and desktop, and creating tables for copyediting queries. Thank you for all the very useful information!" --Working with Word workshop student
"Thank you for a great and informative webinar!"--Microsoft Word for the Wise webinar participant
"Melissa is very engaging, and managed to get through a lot of material without seeming rushed."--Microsoft Word for the Wise workshop student
"I kept thinking about your saying that there's always got to be an easier way. I was doing an electronic edit last week and. . . found out that there was indeed an easier way. You've stimulated me to review all the repetitive stuff that I do and figure out how to do it better. Thank you!" --Electronic Editing student
"I got a lot out of the course, and I appreciated your dazzling organization and expertise on the subject—the handouts will get much use." --Electronic Editing student
"This is one of the better classes I've taken. You definitely know the material and show your knowledge. Thank you for what you do." --Microsoft Word for the Wise webinar participant
I perform all levels of editing for publishers, packagers, corporations, advertising agencies, nonprofit organizations, and independent writers; clients have included Ten Speed Press, Chronicle Books, the Asian Art Museum, Pomegranate, Cleis Press, Ulysses Press, Better Life Media, United Way, H&L Partners, and Doremus.
"You make a great word weaver. Thank you for picking up and tucking in the stray threads of mine. You give the book polish. My former English teacher mother thanks you, too."--Carol Christen, author of What Color Is Your Parachute? For Teens (Ten Speed Press)
"When I spoke with with Melissa over the phone, it was immediately clear to me that she was a masterful listener and precise communicator. Our exchange gave me all the information I needed to know that my bloated rough draft would be in good hands. She is not only an excellent editor but also a warm and funny person who cared about my very first attempt to write a novel, and I will only entrust my manuscripts to her!"--Medella Kingston, author of PeopleFish
"You did a great editing job for me. I receive so much fan mail now! Thanks again for helping make my book a success. I am selling more copies than I ever imagined, and women from all over the world including Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Malaysia have ordered my book!"--Laurie Itkin, author of Every Woman Should Know Her Options
"When I spoke with with Melissa over the phone, it was immediately clear to me that she was a masterful listener and precise communicator. Our exchange gave me all the information I needed to know that my bloated rough draft would be in good hands. She is not only an excellent editor but also a warm and funny person who cared about my very first attempt to write a novel, and I will only entrust my manuscripts to her!"--Medella Kingston, author of PeopleFish
"You did a great editing job for me. I receive so much fan mail now! Thanks again for helping make my book a success. I am selling more copies than I ever imagined, and women from all over the world including Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Malaysia have ordered my book!"--Laurie Itkin, author of Every Woman Should Know Her Options